Location
Lane Education Service District
1200 Highway 99N
Eugene, OR 97402-0374

Contact
Kathy White, Prevention Specialist
Phone: 541/461-8267
Fax: 541/461-8297

Description
The Peaceable Educational Practices Project is a collaborative effort of the University of Oregon’s Institute on Violence and Destructive Behavior, the Lane Education Service District (ESD), the Eugene School District, Roseburg Public Schools, South Lane School District, and Douglas County ESD, all school systems located in western Oregon. Specifically, the Peaceable Educational Practices Project works with 10 pilot site schools, serving students in elementary through middle grades. The goal of the project is to develop and maintain safe learning environments where teachers can teach and students can learn. The specialists at Lane ESD who coordinate and deliver the technical assistance describe the program as having three main components or intervention points. These are described as follows:

1. Data Systems. Before any violence prevention work can be implemented, schools must first assess their strengths and weaknesses. Program coordinators assist school teams to create a school profile that highlights different aspects of the school’s overall safety and discipline system. For example, they may examine the number of discipline referrals in a given time frame and what the context of those referrals was (e.g., playground altercations, lunch room incidents, or classroom disturbances). Several specific instruments are used to develop the profile. Utilizing a variety of data collection and analysis methods, the instruments help schools to examine things like staff and student perceptions, crisis response plans, and student behavior patterns.
2. Effective Behavior Support System (EBS). Based on the information obtained from the school profile, a team of teachers (known as the EBS team) work with program coordinators to determine what direction the school needs to take in making education a more peaceful and safe experience for its students. It is their responsibility to guide and direct the school as it addresses specific problem areas. Once the EBS team has made its recommendations for improvement, the school’s plan of action is tailored to meet the identified needs.
3. Curriculum Implementation. Schools need to choose a curriculum for comprehensive implementation. Many participating schools choose to implement the Second Step curriculum, which teaches kids conflict resolution skills, empathy, impulse control, anger management, and nonviolent problem-solving approaches. Second Step involves extensive training for both teachers and students. (See page 53).

Observed Outcomes

• Participating schools are experiencing a dramatic decrease in office referral patterns
• The systems approach that is utilized in the project moves schools away from punitive and reactive student management models to those that are instructional and preventative in design
• Schools are given the tools to make informed, data-based decisions about their goals and long-term efforts

Keys to Success

• Implement a program that is proactive and addresses the entire school system (schoolwide discipline, classroom management, nonclassroom school settings , and individual student behavior)
• Base program implementation on the specific needs of specific schools—tailor changes to site needs
• Involve staff from the ground up in analyzing their school and proposing system changes
• Teach and reward appropriate student behavior

Location
Whiteaker Middle School
1605 Lockhaven Drive NE
Keizer, OR 97303-2099

Contact
Irene Fernandez, Principal
Phone: 503/399-3224
Fax: 503/375-7872

Description
Somewhere between raging hormones and jockeying for a position in the social hierarchy lies the pursuit of a quality education for middle school students. This can often be difficult to achieve, however, with the disturbances and altercations that frequently pepper the school day. Understanding this and many of the other fears and uncertainties about life that middle school children bring with them, the staff at Whiteaker Middle School set out to change the climate of their school four years ago. They had witnessed an overall increase in the number of students in the building, and determined they needed to work extra hard to provide all students with a sense of belonging and community. These days, the Mom Squad, structured noon and after-school activities and sports, peer counseling, peer mediators, school-within-a-school, service-learning opportunities, and a specialized teacher team are all efforts that contribute to the peaceful environment at Whiteaker.

When sixth-grade students joined Whiteaker’s student body fours years ago, so did the Mom Squad. With only three administrators in charge of 1,250 students, the school recognized that having more adults present at lunch time could drastically raise the level of peace. In response to this need, the Mom Squad was born. The Mom Squad is a group of volunteer parents (some dads have participated, but the effort involves mainly moms) who commit to spending time walking the halls of the school on a regular basis. As many as 25-30 parents may participate on the squad during any given year. Generally, they spend a couple of hours each school day at the school. Initially, the Mom Squad was received with defiance from many students, who didn’t want their days cramped by more adults. Today, however, the squad is an accepted (and welcomed) part of the school. They make themselves available to answer student questions, provide directions, prevent fights, and help at different times in the school day. The Mom Squad has been so successful in fact, that they are now present at McNary High School.

In addition to the Mom Squad, specific lunch and after-school activities were developed as another way of enhancing the tone of the school day. By providing structure to portions of the day not spent in class, the staff felt it would be more able to combat the discipline problems that often occur during these times. During lunch students can elect to be involved in one of three activity areas. They can go to a designated classroom and play video, mind, or board games; they can visit the library/media center; or they can participate in sports activities in the gym. Weather permitting, they can also spend time outside. Daily, students participate in these lunch options. After school, students can be a part of groups that focus on a variety of activities, including science, arts, shop, knitting, crocheting, football, cross country, volleyball, and other seasonal sports. On average, 250-300 students take advantage of Whiteaker’s after-school activities each day. In addition, all Whiteaker students are involved in service-learning activities that they identify and organize.

Whiteaker also has access to a Prevention/Intervention Resource Teacher (PIRT). The PIRT, who divides his time among several district schools, is paid through general school funds and state Safe and Drug-Free Schools monies. He was instrumental in setting up Whiteaker’s peer counseling program, which identifies and trains students to listen effectively and assist other students in making good choices. The peer counselors also work as mediators and negotiate difficult situations between other students. Another duty of the PIRT is to provide counseling to at-risk students. The Student Study Team (SST), a group comprised of Whiteaker teachers, counselors, special education teachers, an administrator, and the PIRT, meet regularly to discuss students who have been identified by other school staff as being troubled in some way. The team works with the PIRT to evaluate student problems and determine what should be done to meet specific needs.

Observed Outcomes

• Parental and community involvement at the school has increased
• Student behavior has improved, which has enhanced the overall school climate
• Communication between staff, parents, and the community is better

Keys to Success

• Keep communication between the school and parents open and positive
• Involve teachers in planning and discussion of proposed ideas and changes
• Create a teacher focus team made up of your building’s teacher leaders; use this team as a sounding board for new ideas and as support for practice implementation